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Cleopatra’s Eye: The Significance of

Kohl in Ancient Egypt
By laurencetotelin | Nov. 27th, 2018 Send to Kindle

By Hazel Lunn

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra in 1963 production of Cleopatra, portraying malachite and galena kohls used in
Egyptian makeup. Courtesy of http://flavorwire.com/535384/the-fashions-of-cleopatra-in-cinema

Kohl has been a popular cosmetic in civilisations across the world since

prehistoric times, but its association with ancient Egypt is most well-known. We
are all familiar with the Egyptians legendary eye-makeup. With Cleopatra as its

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‘poster girl’, most famously depicted by Elizabeth Taylor in 1963, the queens
signature eye-paint still inspires costumes and makeup looks today. Though the
Greeks and Romans also used kohl as an eye-liner, its use in Egypt was much
more than simply cosmetic. Used by both men and women of all social classes,
the Egyptians believed kohl also had important medicinal, magical and religious
qualities.

Cosmetic Use
In the eyes of the Greeks and Romans, excessive adornment belonged only to the
prostitutes and favoured more naturalistic makeup, using kohl to finely line the
eyes and extend the brow. The Egyptians however shared a different view and
smeared kohl over their eyes daily. Wearing both green malachite and black
galena in bold designs, kohl exaggerated their eyes to enhance their beauty
(Tyldesley 1994, 159). Although she was not Egyptian herself, Cleopatra likely
followed ancient traditions wearing beautifully elaborate eye looks, perhaps
similar to our modern recreations.

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Bronze kohl stick, Egypt, 1575-1194 BCE. Courtesy of the Science Museum

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Terracotta kohl pot and applicator, Egypt, Ptolemaic period. Courtesy of the British Museum.

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Kohl pot and stick, Egypt, 1800-200 BC. Courtesy of the Science Museum

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Double wooden kohl tube, Egypt, 100 BCE – 400 CE. Courtesy of the Science Museum.

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To create these eye paints, kohl was ground in a pestle and mortar and mixed
with oils or animal fats on palettes to; then the kohl paint was applied to the eyes
using a small stick. Galena, replacing malachite, gradually became the
predominant ingredient in kohl cosmetics and its use continued through until
the Coptic period; the Fayum mummy portraits display less complicated,
everyday use of kohl by both men and women during the Roman period, perhaps
influenced more by the styles of Roman women which became popular after the
first century AD. As well enhancing beauty, the cosmetic use of kohl could also
indicate social rank and achievement, perhaps with more complicated designs
worn regularly by the elite (Pak 2009, 108).

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Mummy-portrait, Rubaiyat, 300-325 CE. Source: Wikipedia.

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Mummy-portrait of a young woman, third century CE. Le Louvre Paris. Source: Wikipedia.

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Mummy-portrait of a man, 130-150 CE. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum.

Religious Importance
So important was its use in ancient Egypt that containers of kohl, along with
various instruments for its preparation and application, were buried alongside
the dead. This clearly shows just how essential kohl was in daily life but also in
the afterlife, which indicated that it had important religious functions. Kohl was
associated with the deities Horus, Ra and Hathor and was regularly used in ritual.
Egyptians also exaggerated their eyes with bold liner in veneration of the gods, as
they believed it possessed magical properties in providing protection from
diseases and warded off the Evil Eye (Tapsoba et al. 2010, 457; Illes n.d., 2).

Medicinal Benefits
Though these magical benefits of kohl may seem irrational to us today, these
protective qualities are fully supported by recent studies of the various
ingredients found in kohl. Egyptians faced many health issues that effected the
eyes; from dust from the desert, to insects and bacteria from the flooding of the
Nile, diseases such as conjunctivitis, cataract, trachoma and trichiasis played the
population. The proscription of kohl to treat and prevent these illnesses can be
found extremely early on in the Ebers papyrus, but were ancient physicians
correct to think kohl could heal them?

Kohl contained multiple ingredients that not only added to the beautiful shine of
galena, but are also known for their medicinal benefits. Zinc oxide is a powerful
natural sunblock, neem has astringent and antibacterial properties and also
possesses anti-viral activity like silver-leaf, while fennel and saffron were often
used to fight many eye diseases. Other ingredients, such as chaksu and precious
gems, were also believed to improve sight (Pak 2009, 110). It has also
been discovered that Egyptians synthesised lead compounds

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(laurionite and phosgenite) to add into their cosmetics, which Dioscorides

explains “appear to be good medicine to be put in the eyes” (Dioscorides 5,102).

Although the addition of lead to cosmetics may seem absurd due to its known
toxicity, with some pitying the “devastation” kohl must have cause in ancient
Egypt, these compounds were not harmful and did actually provide beneficial
medicinal roles (Hallmann 2009, 71-2). A biomedical study, which made
the news in 2010, ended controversy over the harmful effects of kohl. By
analysing various samples found in Egyptian tombs and recreating ancient
recipes, reported by Greco-Roman authors, scientists were able to test the effects
of these led compounds on skin cells. Amazingly instead of causing lead
poisoning, these lead compounds instead triggered an overproduction of
nitrogen monoxide (NOo), which stimulates nonspecific immunological
defences. This data suggests that the daily wearing of kohl made Egyptian eyes
almost immediately resistant to bacterial infections due to the spontaneous
response of immune cells. Although concerns about the toxicity of lead,
overshadowed its benefits, this study proves that the lead compounds found in
kohl did in fact serve a significant medicinal function. Tapsoba therefore argues
that these compounds were deliberately manufactured and used in cosmetics to
prevent and treat eye diseases (Tapsoba et al. 2010, 457-60). Galena and these
other lead sulphides also provide protection from Egypt’s harsh sun by providing
a shield from its glare and harmful UV rays (Pak 2009, 109). The addition of
these various ingredients to kohl supports the magical protective beliefs of
Egyptians and shows an understanding of ancient physicians of the many
benefits this cosmetic possessed.

Although kohl was used by the Egyptians to beautifully decorate their eyes, its
daily use for religious and medicinal purposes were extremely important. Though
the general population may have attributed kohl’s magical healing powers to the
gods, physicians and perhaps even Cleopatra herself, understood that the
ingredients they added to their cosmetics were effective medicines. Its use, in
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various forms, has been important to many cultures throughout history and it
remains a popular cosmetic across the world today.

Hallmann. A. (2009), ‘Was Ancient Egyptian Kohl a Poison?’ in J. Popielska-

Grzybowska, O. Białostocka & J. Iwaszczuk (eds.), Proceedings of the Third Central
European Conference of Young Egyptologists. Egypt 2004: Perspectives of Research.
Warsaw 12-14 May 2004. 69-72. Pułtusk: The Pułtusk Academy of Humanities.

Illes. J., n.d. Ancient Egyptian Eye Makeup. 

Pak. J. (2009), ‘Review Kohl (Surma): Retrospect and Prospect’, Pharmaeutical

Sciences 22, 107-122.

Tapsoba. I., Arbault. S., Walter. P., and Amatore. C. (2010). ‘Finding Out Egyptian
Gods’ Secret Using Analytical Chemistry: Biomedical Properties of Egyptian
Makeup Revealed by Amperometry and Single Cells,’ Letters to Analytical
Chemistry 82, 457-460.

Tyldesley. J. (1994), Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt. London: Penguin

Books.

My name is Hazel Lunn, I am 21, and I have recently graduated from Cardiff
University with a degree in Ancient History. I am a food lover interested in
gender studies and environmental issues. My degree has sparked my interest in
writing and my previous love of makeup inspired my blog on the significance of
khol in ancient Egypt. I hope you enjoy reading my findings.

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